


Bugging Out

by LNC



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Identity Reveal, Superhero Shenanigans, everyone loves marinette and she just wants a nap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 04:36:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20594816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LNC/pseuds/LNC
Summary: Marinette is super popular.





	Bugging Out

**Author's Note:**

> This is a silly nonsense piece that has been sitting in my WIP folder for months now so take it and let me be donnnnnne.

Marinette was at an impasse.

When she first approached Master Fu about releasing the other miraculous he initially refused. Citing the risks of Hawkmoth getting his hands on any of the jewels and reminding her how difficult it was for Ladybug and Chat Noir to defeat him _ without _ throwing another miraculous into the mix the argument was over before it ever really started.

Until Hero’s Day that is.

When Hawkmoth appeared with Mayura by his side, Fu found he had no other choice than to grant her request. A relief, really, as Marinette was wary of relying too much on lucky charm to signal when and where she and Chat Noir needed backup. Ladybug couldn’t risk abandoning a fight and her partner to play Uber for superheroes.

Which was how she found herself dropping off the bee, fox, and turtle miraculous to their respective holders. Two months later and Marinette was seriously starting to regret it.

It started with Rena Rouge.

Unsurprising really, with how much Alya loved to show off in the suit. Giddy on realizing a lifelong dream, she was second only to Chat Noir in her love of patrols and chatting with civilians. Social media was abuzz with citings of the fox wielder running through one arrondissement or other, always followed up hours later with a compilation post on the Ladyblog.

(And if Marinette thought those posts were a _ little _ self-serving, well, if anyone deserved to show off it was her best friend.)

It only took Alya a week with Trixx to start showing up on her balcony. It was cute, really, how sneaky she thought she was. Stopping past on her unscheduled patrols as she was _ just passing by _ and _ oh, are those macaroons? _

She’d stop by for half an hour or so before eventually flitting off into the darkness, cheeky grin in place as she somersaulted off the side of the building.

As Alya was Alya, Marinette never really thought twice about Rena Rouge’s occasional visits. More remarkable was Chat Noir’s even less frequent drop ins.

He’d found her one evening as she was watering the plants. It wasn’t her intention to call out to him but when Chat caught sight of her and waved she didn’t have any other choice but to wave back.

Fifteen minutes of idle chit chat and a horrible physics pun later had him disappearing to finish his patrol route. That he’d stopped by at all wasn’t _ too _ unusual, she told herself. After all, Chat tried to make a point of acknowledging her whenever he caught her out of costume. Marinette suspected it was his guilty conscience over “breaking her heart” when her papa was akumatized but it was sweet that he was trying all the same.

Even Nino managed to stop by once or twice although he didn’t stay long enough to finish the croissants he pilfered from her plate.

But ultimately those visits weren’t so outside the realm of possibility that she second-guessed them. Or at least, that _ was _ the case, until Chloe came.

“Remember Dupain-Cheng,” She’d said after deigning to sit with her for all of five minutes. “Not a _ soul _.”

Marinette’s smile was strained as she watched Paris’ least conspicuous hero disappear into the night. She stopped studying on the balcony after that.

And still, they kept coming.

Infrequently at first and then nearly every day. To the point that it was becoming a rare night when Marinette _ didn’t _ have one superhero or other clamoring at her balcony window.

Quite frankly, it was getting ridiculous.

Especially when Marinette found herself having to sneak out of her house just to sneak out of her house. Woe to the superhero who couldn’t even escape through her own balcony lest some one teammate or other found her out.

Which wasn’t saying anything about her _ parents _ who were becoming all too interested in the thudding and whispering coming from their daughter’s bedroom.

“Marinette, do you need to tell us anything?”

Her mother’s eyes scanned the room, lingering on the trap door to her balcony where Carapace had just escaped. Exhausted, Marinette just shook her head.

“No maman. Sorry, I was just… talking to myself.”

“Hmm.”

When Sabine finally left she slumped down onto her chaise and let out a muted scream into her throw pillow.

Tikki watched her with wide, concerned eyes as she munched away at her bedtime snack.

“Maybe you should tell them to cut down on the visits.”

“I didn’t _ invite _ them here!” Marinette hissed, glaring at her kwami. “They just keep–” She made a frantic waving motion with her hands. “Showing up.”

Tikki flew to her side. Marinette shook her head.

“Do you think they know? Or are they all just… miraculously drawn here by some stupid ladybug pheromone?”

Her kwami giggled. “I think they just like you.”

“Well I wish they wouldn’t!” She groaned. “Or at least they’d like me _ less _. My parents are starting to get suspicious.”

“Can you tell them to stop?”

“I _ tried _ that,” She said.

“Mmm,” Tikki said. “Maybe they’ll listen if you ask as Ladybug.”

It was worth a shot at least.

Unfortunately, when she finally _ did _ call a team meeting they were less than receptive:

“I’m sorry, Ladybug, but I just don’t understand what the big deal is.”

Ladybug sighed, resisting the urge to shake her best friend.

“The big deal, Rena, is that so much attention focused on one civilian is bound to attract Hawkmoth’s attention. I know none of us would like to see Marinette or her family in danger.”

“Of course not,” Chat said.

Ladybug spared him a smile. Trust her kitty cat to always have her back.

“But I don’t think stealing the occasional pastry from the baker’s daughter is going to make her a target.”

Or not.

“I just think we’re taking up too much of her time as it is,” She said, gritting her teeth.

Rena laughed. “Oh trust me, M doesn’t mind.”

“Yeah,” Carapace said. “She’s pretty chill.”

Queen Bee shrugged. “She’s alright.”

Their easy dismissal was enough to make a girl scream.

Days on weeks on _ months _ of this ridiculousness had left her nerves frayed, exhaustion chip chipping away at her temper as she played one fish, two fish, red fish, who fish with her classmates turned heroes and partner who couldn’t leave her civilian self well enough alone. God forbid she have any moments of peace, any moments not completely devoted to her role as Paris’s hero now civilian sidekick. It wasn’t enough she had to play Superman – she had to be Lois Lane as well.

Like a tea kettle left on the burner, Ladybug nearly shrieked from the absurdity of it all. 

“You all are _ ridiculous _ ,” She snapped, tugging at the bunches of her pigtails. “Why can’t you leave Marinette alone? Why are you all so _ obsessed _ with her? Why is _ Chloe _ , who, sorry Queen Bee, by all accounts _ hates _ her, showing up at her balcony at all godforsaken hours of the night?”

The last word came out on a hysteric huff as Ladybug finally gave voice to the last few months frustrations. She glared from Chat to Rena to Carapace to Queen Bee and then back again. Their faces were a mixture of shock and confusion and regret and for a moment she thought she was finally getting through to them when Rena asked,

“Hang on. Do you not like Marinette?”

_ Oh my god_.

“You didn’t hear a word I said,” She muttered, disbelieving. Ladybug shook her head. “I like Marinette just fine.”

“Doesn’t sound like it,” Queen Bee said, sounding a little delighted herself.

“Marinette is great,” Carapace added, looking towards his girlfriend. “I bet you’d really like her if you gave her a chance.”

Rena frowned. “She’s one of the best people I know. If you knew her like I do–”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I think I know her pretty well.”

Chat placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on LB. Don’t be like that.”

“I’m not _ being _ like anything Chat. I have nothing against Marinette. I just think you all should leave well enough alone.”

“If I didn’t know any better,” Queen Bee said, looking at her appraisingly. “I’d say you were jealous.”

“_ Jealous? _ ” She laughed. She really couldn’t _ not _ at this point. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”

Her teammates merely exchanged knowing looks, as if this explained everything. It was too much really. Too, too much.

“I’m going home,” She announced, completely and totally Done.

It didn’t make any _ sense _.

Marinette detransformed as she fell through her skylight, dropping down to her bed, landing on her knees and falling face first into her cat pillow with a scream.

Tikki patted her head in sympathy.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m taking them back,” She said, voice muffled by her pillow. “I’m taking all of them back. Even Chat’s. Hawkmoth’s got nothing on me.”

“Are you sure you can’t– ” Tikki’s words were cut off by a sudden crash as four frantic superheroes tumbled through her skylight and on top of her.

She nearly screamed.

“Marinette!” They all said, frantic, scrambling off of her.

Rena patted her back. “We saw Ladybug coming in this direction and wanted to warn y– _ Oh _.”

Her hands froze with her words and Marinette followed the fox’s gaze to Tikki who was pinned, wide-eyed and furious, beneath Carapace’s knee.

“_ Excuse me _,” She squeaked.

Stunned, none of them made a move to get up. Carapace winced as the kwami phased through him then and flew to their eye level. Marinette removed herself from the unwelcome dog pile with a groan.

“Dupain-Cheng?’ Queen Bee snorted. “_ Seriously _?”

“Shut up, Chloe!” Rena snapped.

Marinette ignored them and buried her head in her hands.

Tikki scowled. “You four should be ashamed of yourselves.”

“We didn’t– we didn’t know,” Carapace said.

The little kwami huffed.

“M-my lady?” Chat Noir whispered.

Peeking through her fingers she met his dumb-struck gaze. “I told you I wasn’t jealous, chaton.”

Rena let out a near-hysterical laugh. Queen Bee rolled her eyes.

“Oh.” Was all he managed. “So then everything you were saying earlier…”

He trailed off, voice breaking in light of this recent revelation. It was enough to deflate most of her anger, leaving resignation in its wake.

_ God save her from ridiculous cat boys. _

Marinette sighed, shook her head, and met her team’s various gazes with a tired smile.

“You know I love you all but… if I start bringing pastries to patrol can you cut down on the visits? My parents are getting suspicious.”


End file.
